Maintaining good dental health is a great way to help promote better overall health for your whole body. Knowing and doing however are two different things. Having an understanding of the basics (brushing, flossing, rinsing and repeating) is important but implementing regularly in your life is the only way to ensure optimal dental health.
Visiting your dentist regularly is the icing on the cake (which if you happen to eat, you should remember to brush, floss and rinse afterward!). The availability of dental offices seems to be at an all time high, yet there are certain parts of the population that still face very poor dental health. A recent study of Perth County offers an explanation as to why this may be the case. “’Significant inequalities are experienced by Perth County’s older adults, lower-income earners, and residents with less than high school education,’ a backgrounder on the survey stated. ‘These groups struggle to access dental care and bear a disproportionate burden of dental disease. ‘The findings are contained in a report titled Oral Health in Perth County. It documented trends in oral health care and dental disease in Perth County residents aged 12 years and above, over a 10-year period. A snapshot of the findings shows that gender, education and income were significant factors in many of the results.For example, fewer Perth County residents than their provincial counterparts are likely to brush their teeth at least twice a day (71.2% to 78.3%).Significantly, though, only 63.4% of men (compared to the provincial average of 71.7%) have adopted the habit. Women scored markedly higher, with 78.5% in Perth County and 84.6% provincially. Only 56.1% of Perth County residents with less than high school education brushed twice daily (66% provincially), while just 55.7% of low-income earners (70.3% provincially) took the time. The numbers improved with both education levels and income, the survey found.”
Having data on why something exists is only half the battle; determining the steps to take to move forward from those results is the next step.
